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| Winter tourism spots are hot |
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By ROBERTA FUGATE
rjfugate@njherald.com
Colder temperatures and a lagging economy combined to create a perfect climate for area tourist attractions this winter.
“We’ve been blessed with great weather and attendance has been strong,” said Bill Benneyan, vice president of marketing for Mountain Creek in Vernon. “We couldn’t be happier with the results.”
“It’s been a strong year,” he added. Following a difficult December, which included an ice storm and a roller coaster of warmer and colder temperatures, “we got back to the winter we’ve all been enjoying since.”
Benneyan said the cold, dry arctic air did well for the area and the ski resort had 100 percent of its trails open in January. “It was exactly the shot in the arm we were waiting for. We had one of the strongest January months we’ve had in at least a decade.”
“The weather has made a big difference this year,” said Sheri Eichler, Hidden Valley sales director for group sales for the Vernon resort. “Natural snow and colder temperatures have allowed us to open all of our trails.”
In addition to the weather, Benneyan said the impact of the economy pushed those who might typically travel to northern New England closer to home, which meant an increase in visitors to the two Mountain Creek resort properties — The Appalachian Hotel and Black Creek Sanctuary.
“I’ve been here a long time and this is one of the best years we’ve had in a very long time,” Eichler said. “The economy definitely has people sticking closer to home.
“We’ve almost doubled what we did last year. Group bookings and having snow has made a very big difference. We’re pretty happy,” she added.
Benneyan predicts continued success for the remaining ski season and said he expects the summer months to be just as good as families choose to stay closer to home.
Other area resorts also are doing well despite the poor economy.
The Biosphere — an indoor pool complex with a sunken aquarium, 140-foot water slide and indoor/outdoor hot tub — and the two day spas at Crystal Springs Resort, in Vernon, offer getaways that don’t require traveling out of state.
“Things are looking very good right now,” said Natasha Wright, marketing and public relations manager for Crystal Springs Resort.
Wright said if people are going to get away for two or three days, they are going to go somewhere closer to home to save time and money.
“I think people are really looking to stay close to home,” she said. “Time is money — and people don’t have time to take off from work.”
As promotion for local tourism expands, Wright said people who didn’t consider coming to New Jersey for vacation are changing their minds. ?
Created: 2/14/2009 | Updated: 2/15/2009
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